Wednesday, January 30, 2019

J/Newsletter- January 30th, 2019

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

It was a busy week Down Under off Melbourne, Australia.  The largest regatta in the Southern Hemisphere was sailed off Geelong, Australia, a “suburb” west of Melbourne along the southern coastline.  Throngs of party-goers, sailors, a J/121, the Australian J/111 Championship, and a gaggle of J/24s were all participating at the same time in the famous Festival of Sails.

Up in the cooler northern hemisphere, several dozen Russian J/70 sailors were making a go of it in Sochi, Russia, sailing in the eastern parts of the Black Sea at that famous summer/ winter resort. Four Russian J/70 Sailing League regattas have taken place so far with thirteen teams from across the vast expanse of their country.  Over in Italy, the Roman J/24 fleet sailed the next stages of their Lozzi Trophy and Winter Series off Anzio on the sunny Mediterranean.

Hopping over to the Americas, the J/Fest St Petersburg Regatta marked the occasion for the J/88 and J/111 Midwinters, hosted by St Petersburg YC in St Petersburg, Florida. Out West, the Singlehanded Sailing Society of San Francisco Bay hosted the infamous Three Bridge Fiasco Race for a crowd of 300+ boat; it was gorgeous, warm, reasonably quick and, as usual, had a few fiascos and a near disaster with a whale.

Finally, check out 2019 J/24 Worlds opportunities for slots for Women’s Teams and Under-25 Teams from any member J/24 National authority worldwide.  The regatta is being held in September on Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. Check out the information below.
 

J/24 sailing GrenadaGrenada Sailing Week Preview
(St Georges, Grenada)- From January 27th to February 1st, Camper & Nicholson’s Port Louis Marina and Secret Harbour Marina are continuing their loyal support as host venues for the 2019 edition of the Grenada Sailing Week.

The regatta kicks off at Camper & Nicholson’s Port Louis Marina, one of the most prestigious names in the marine industry. Marina manager Charlotte Bonin says, “Camper & Nicholson’s Port Louis Marina is delighted to be hosting the Grenada Sailing Week again in 2019.”

Racers will be welcomed for the first two days of racing and parties. Port Louis is a luxury super-yacht marina located in the beautiful lagoon just outside St. George’s, Grenada’s capital, and overlooking the colorful waterfront of the Carenage.  With 160 berths for yachts up to 300 feet, they provide the perfect base from which to race in the protected waters off Grand Anse beach and the beautiful Caribbean Sea. The marina includes The Victory Bar and Restaurant and Yolo Sushi and Wine Bar, a swimming pool, as well as nearby chandlers, provisioning and all the amenities the capital of Grenada has to offer.

The transition race on the afternoon of Tuesday 29 January moves the fleet to Secret Harbour Marina in Mount Hartman Bay. The manager Catherine Delcroix says, “Come and enjoy the Secret, experience the breath-taking views and discover the hidden gem of Grenada. Secret Harbour Marina, Boutique Hotel and Restaurant is proud to host the mid- races and the grand finale of this fantastic Grenada Sailing Week edition 2019.” Secret Harbour Marina have 50 berths, they offer a quiet and secure bay away from the hustle and bustle of town but within easy reach to nearby Grand Anse and its beautiful beaches. Sel & Poivre Restaurant elegantly overlooks the waterfront. The marina will be hosting the lay day, the last two days of racing, the final prize giving parties.

Grenada Sailing week is excited to announce their support of the first youth sailing team to join the J/24 class.  The Grenada Sailing Association National Youth Sailing Team is a new team made up of 16 to 20 year old’s. Prior to this, they sailed on Optimists and Lasers at the various sailing clubs around the island (Gouyave Sailing Club and Woburn Wind Warriors). This is a huge step for them to progress into J/24 sailing, helping to bridge the gap between dinghy and keelboat sailing. This program is supported by Grenada Sailing Association, Caribbean Sailing Association, Grenada Tourism Authority and Glenelg Spring Water. The team is coached by Robbie Yearwood of the J/24 Team DIEHARD and another J/24 owner- Kevin Banfield- the GSA Olympic & World Sailing trained coach.

Participating offshore teams in the event include two in CSA Racing Division; Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID from Jolly Harbour, Antigua and Jonathan Totten’s J/105 DOGSMILE from Black River Falls, Wisconsin.

Then, in the half-dozen boats in the J/24 class are Fred Sweeney’s ATTITUDE from St Lucia, Robbie Yearwood’s DIE HARD from Grenada, Gus Reader’s FADEAWAY from Barbuda, Rick Amerling’s FRIGATE from New York, Stephen Bushe’s HAWKEYE from Trinidad, and James Benoit’s SHAKIN OBTW from Grenada.  Follow Grenada Sailing Week on Facebook here  For more Grenada Sailing Week sailing information
 

J80 Worlds in SpainJ/80 World Championship Announcement
(Bilbao, Spain)- The Real Club MarĂ­timo del Abra-Real Sporting Club, organizer of the J/80 World Championships that will be held from the 13th to 20th July 2019, has recently announced the launch of the championship official website.

The website, which has a Spanish, Basque, English and French version, includes in-depth information about the Championship and allows users to register for the championship through its online virtual office.

The site also provides other information of interest to those who will be coming to the Club for the event; including how to get there, the location of the Club, accommodation in the area, local transport services, and the wide range of leisure activities that both Getxo and nearby Bilbao have to offer.  For more 2019 J/80 World Championship sailing information
 

J/Models For Awards, Home/ Office!
(Annapolis, MD)- For years, the Abordage.com family has produced amazing half-hull and full-hull models of J/Boats down in the Dominican Republic for J/enthusiasts around the world.

Despite several extraordinarily destructive Caribbean hurricanes, the family-owned business has endured, and they continue to maintain their amazing high-levels of craftsmanship.

Abordage.com clients include America’s Cup sponsors like ORACLE and dozens of J/Boat owners everywhere around the world.  Here are a few recent examples for J/owners and J/regattas.
J/Boats custom models
For more information, please contact Denis Cartier at Email- abordage@abordage.com / Tel: +1-809-528-1992 ext: 503 / Web: http://www.abordage.com
 

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Feb 7-10- J/70 Monaco Winter Series IV/ Primo Cup- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Feb 9-10-  Davis Island J/70 Series III- Tampa, FL
Feb 15-17- Helly Hansen St Petersburg NOOD- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 21-24- J/70 Midwinter Championship- Miami, FL
Mar 6-9- Bacardi Cup- J/70 Winter Series III- Miami, FL
Mar 7-10- J/105 Midwinter Championship- Fort Worth, TX
Mar 12-16- Miami to Havana Race- Havana, Cuba
Mar 14-17- J/70 Monaco Winter Series V- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Mar 15-17- San Diego NOOD Regatta- San Diego, CA
Mar 22-24- St Thomas International Regatta- St Thomas, USVI
Mar 29-31- BVI Spring Regatta- Roadtown, Tortola, BVI
Mar 30- Apr 5- J/24 North American Championship- Valle de Bravo, Mexico
Apr 11-14- Charleston Race Week- Charleston, SC
Apr 28- May 1- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

J/88s sailing off St Petersburg, FLWindy J/Fest St Petersburg
J/88 WING Soars, J/111 SPACEMAN SPIFF Zooms to Class Wins
(St Petersburg, FL)- The third weekend of January saw the annual J/Fest St Petersburg Regatta, hosted by the St Petersburg YC in Florida, take place from January 25th to 27th.  It was the Midwinter Championship for both the J/88s and J/111s racing on Tampa Bay. The fleet was blessed with two great days of sailing on Friday and Saturday, with consistent winds of 8-15 kts ranging from N-NE; the StPYC PRO and RC team managed to run four races each day for a total of eight races for both classes. Sunday’s racing was canceled due to a massive frontal system rolling off the Gulf of Mexico with low visibility, incessant rain, big breeze, and quite cold (by Florida standards) temperatures- 48-51 F all day.

The northerly winds in St. Petersburg are essentially offshore near the city front, making for very shifty, streaky breezes that challenged the tacticians.  It was not unusual for teams to round the weather mark in first, and then drop a few places by the leeward gate.  Conversely, sometime 1-2 boats would hit opposite corners on the second windward leg and leap from last at the gate to being leaders at the final top mark! As close-winded as the 88’s and 111’s can be in flat water, tacking through 76 to 80 degrees, a 5-degree shift and 1-2 kts in velocity would translate into big gains (or losses) with boats around you.

J/88 WINGS sailing J/Fest St PetersburgJ/88 Midwinters
Six J/88s escaped the Polar Vortex to compete in the J/88 Midwinter Championship, a part of J/Fest hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club in Florida. Mike Bruno’s WINGS from Armonk, NY tallied 9 net points in 8 races after counting only firsts and seconds (dropping a fifth in race four) to take the 88 Midwinters by a very comfortable margin. With team Mike Booker, Stu Johnstone, Chris Morgan, Tim Randall and Stephen Yip, WINGS secured five bullets and relished the breezy conditions on Friday and Saturday, when four races per day were completed. Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION took second place with 19 points, including two first-place finishes on day one. William Purdy’s WHIRLWIND tied DEVIATION on points, but lost the tie-breaker and had to settle for the bronze position.

Rounding out the top five were Dave Tufts’ GAUCHO in fourth place and Andy Graff’s EXILE from Chicago, IL in fifth position.

J/111 Midwinters J/Fest St PetersburgJ/111 Midwinters
After eight races, only two points separated the four boats competing for the J/111 Midwinter Championship! By way of a bullet in Saturday’s last (and ultimately final) battle, Rob Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF eked out the title with crew Dustin Graef, Jeff Haase, Marty Kullman, Doug Moose, Abigail Ruhlman, Ryan Ruhlman and Jim Sminchak.

Ending with 15 net points, SPACEMAN SPIFF flipped positions throughout the Championship with Ian Hill’s SITELLA (who placed second with 16 points) to take the 2019 Midwinters title. Then, Andrew & Sedgwick Ward’s team on BRAVO tied with SITELLA on 16 pts, but lost the tie-breaker to take third. The “hard luck” award likely goes to Jeff Davis’ SHAMROCK, going into the last race winning, leading a good part of the last race, then watching SPIFF and BRAVO catch a shift to sweep past them to take 1st and 2nd in the last race to jumble the standings yet again! Racing was so tight, that, literally, all four boats were leading the regatta at some point, and all four boats won races (SITELLA- three 1sts, SPIFF/ SHAMROCK- two 1sts each, and BRAVO- one 1st).  For more J/FEST St Petersburg Regatta sailing information
 

J/121 Javelin sailing off Melbourne, AustraliaJ/121 Wins @ Festival of Sails!
JOUST Tops Australian J/111 Champs
(Geelong, Vic, Australia)- As many as 200,000 people are believed to have enjoyed the festivities of the Geelong Waterfront this past weekend as the city played host to two major events – the historic Festival of Sails and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

The Festival of Sails is the largest annual keelboat regatta in the Southern Hemisphere with over 300 yacht entries and 3,000 competitors annually taking part in the event. First held in 1844, the Festival of Sails Regatta (held over the Australia Day Long Weekend) is one of the nation’s oldest sporting events, and has evolved over many years culminating in its current format as Australia’s foremost keelboat regatta.

Festival of Sails Chairman Stuart Dickson said beautiful weather, exciting racing on Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay and a smorgasbord of entertainment combined for a terrific event. He explained, “this weekend, the Royal Geelong Yacht Club welcomed hundreds of boats and thousands of sailors, including participants from overseas and every state and territory, to our city. This is fantastic for the event and for Geelong.”

JOUST Tops Australian J/111 Nationals
The Festival of Sails concurrently hosted the 2019 J/111 Australian Nationals, sailing in gorgeous Corio Bay. From the very beginning, Rod Warren’s very talented team aboard JOUST threw down the gauntlet by winning the first race.  They never looked back, winning four more races over the three days and having to toss a 2nd place to win with a perfect score of 5 pts in 5 races!

Meanwhile, there was a real battle for the balance of the podium with everything going down to the wire on the last day for the two contenders- Phil Simpfendorfer’s VELOCE and Rob Date’s SCARLET RUNNER. After the dust cleared from the battlefield, it was evident Team VELOCE’s crew were up to the task, posting a 3-2-4-2-1-4 for 12 pts net to take the silver.  Rounding out the podium to take the bronze was SCARLET RUNNER with a 2-3-2-5-5-3 tally for 15 pts net.

J/121 Javelin winning crew- sailing Festival of SailsJ/121 Wins AMS Cruising Division
Meanwhile, sailing in the offshore, random-leg, AMS Cruising Division was the new J/121 JAVELIN. The crew has been on a roll since winning the ORCV 2018 Winter Series. Skipper/ owner Mark Nicholson and team took on many of Australia’s best offshore teams, sailing the biggest and most competitive division in the entire Geelong Festival of Sails.  Starting off with a 6th place on the first day, JAVELIN took off on their fleet, posting a 2-4-1 to finish with 13 pts and convincingly win their division six points clear of the next boat- a pro’d up Soto 30! Here is their report.

For the J/121 JAVELIN, the event kicked off with a 32nm passage race from St Kilda in Melbourne, across Port Philip Bay to Geelong.  Two start lines of 230+ boats set off at 9.30am in light 4-5 knot southeast winds.  J/121 JAVELIN was in the first start of 100+ yachts of all shapes and sizes, including 32 yachts in the AMS 1 division. This division featured yachts from a Soto 30, through a Caprice 40 (2nd in its IRC division in the recent Sydney/Hobart) all the way up to a Reichel Pugh 63 (3rd IRC overall in the Sydney/Hobart).

J/121 JAVELIN was buried on the start but set to the task of reeling in the competition, with the strategy to keep slightly left of the course to take advantage of a forecast wind shift.  JAVELIN flew their Code Zero most of the way (albeit it was hoisted and dropped half a dozen times along the way!). The last stretch passed through the tight shipping channel with the wind peaking at 16 knots, and JAVELIN sailing on a close reach. Their strategy worked and they finished 6th in their division in the passage race. Plenty of celebratory drinks accompanied the Australia Day fireworks display held at the Regatta Village.

3 further races were held over days 2 and 3, with 2 of those races having to race back through the shipping channel to open waters. This made for some spectacularly close racing where water rights dominated sailing rights.  The fleet of 70+ yachts (up to 65 footers and including some big cats) worked together to get through relatively unscathed (though a few boats ventured a few metres outside the channel and ran aground). JAVELIN successfully tried a wing-on-wing strategy for a short while with the A2, managing to both gain clear air and separation from competitors. Conditions were pleasant once past the channel with flat water and breeze ranging 12-14 knots.  JAVELIN finished 2nd in race 2.

A twilight race was also held to take advantage of the stronger afternoon breeze, building to mid-20’s, though quite shifty.  After a general recall, JAVELIN had a clean (and conservative) start, and powered over 10-12 yachts on a tight 2 sail reach.  The A3 kite was hoisted at the top mark for what looked to be a beam reach.  However, the wind shifted just after the hoist and the A2 would have been a better choice. JAVELIN maintained their position finishing 4th in Race 3.

Going into the final day of racing, JAVELIN was in the lead position, with only a few points separating the first six yachts.  She sailed a clean covering race in perfect sailing conditions- sunny, flat waters and 12-14 knot breeze.  The results came in and JAVELIN finished 1st in Race 4 and, therefore was declared the overall winner in her AMS 1 class!

J/24s sailing Australia off MelbourneJ/24s Love Corio Bay Sailing
The Passage & Twilight Series was sailed under the EHC handicap rule.  A gaggle of J/24s enjoyed tight racing with each other, with just 2.5 pts separating them in the final tally.  Top J/24s, sitting in 4th handicap was Simon Grain’s JET.  Just behind them in 5th was Miles Hurrell’s SCRUMPY, and only a half point back was Pauliina Mattila’s BRUSCHETTA VI.

Like their sisterships, Jeff Harris’ J/24 FUN enjoyed the Corio Bay series, taking a 4th for their weekend of fun-loving experiences on sunny Geelong Bay.

Watch the highlights video, including several interviews of the J/111 Class ownersSailing photo credits- Salty Dingo/ Melbourne, Australia  Follow the Festival of Sails on Facebook here  For more Festival of Sails sailing information
 

Three Bridge Fiasco race course on San Francisco BayJ/Sailors Love Three Bridge Fiasco Race
(San Francisco, CA)- The 2019 edition of the infamous Three Bridge Fiasco will go down in the history books as one of the nicest and most benign races in recent memory- sunny skies, gentle northeast winds of 4 to 12 kts, warm 72 F temps!  With the event taking place in January on San Francisco Bay, anything can happen in the middle of winter with massive storms piling into the Pacific coast from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping rain and chilly temperatures on the competitors, blowing a gale.  Or, it can be lightish northerlies/ easterlies with chilly winds, a constant mist and rain, and 100% cloud cover.

The Singlehanded Sailing Society welcomed a fleet of 334 boats that were entered as singlehanded or doublehanded teams, most were sailing doublehanded. It is believed the race, a 21.0nm dash around three “marks”, is considered the largest shorthanded sailing event in the world.

The race track couldn’t be more picturesque or unique.  Starting off Golden Gate YC on the south shore of the Bay (next to St Francis YC), the sailors can choose which direction to go- clockwise or counter-clockwise.  The marks are Blackaller Buoy near the south pylon of the Golden Gate Bridge at the westward opening of the Bay, around Red Rock Island near the Richmond/ San Rafael Bridge in north Bay, and around the Bay Bridge by rounding Treasure & Yerba Buena Islands.  Since the race is a reverse start (pursuit) race, the start time for each boat is based on its PHRF rating, with slowest boats starting first at 0900 hrs and the fastest at -102 starting 2 hours later!

Eighty-eight J/Crews participated in this year’s race (26.0% of the total fleet!), a record number of J/sailors!  They sailed in one-design classes (J/22, J/24, J/70, J/105, J/120) and in PHRF handicap divisions. A LOT of pickle dishes (silverware) were collected by these intrepid adventurers!

Three Bridge Fiasco sunsetONE-DESIGN CLASSES
In the seven-boat J/22 class, it was the famous J/105 racing couple that took one-design honors- Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault sailing TOM ALLEN; crossing at 15:01:23.  Second was Owen Lahr and Connell Phillipps’ YANG at 15:07:08 and third place went to David James and Roy Haslup’s FRITZ JEWETT at 15:12:39.

The eight-boat J/24 class saw a decisive leader in their class, with Deke Klatt and Claudia Gottstein’s JADED crossing the line at 14:21:41, a solid 45 minutes ahead of the next J/24!  Taking the silver was Val Lulevich and Alex Schultink’s infamous SHUT UP AND DRIVE crossing at 15:04:03, followed in third by Randy Rasicot and Mays Dickey’s FLIGHT getting home at 15:09:35.

The five-boat J/70 class saw a runaway winner, with Peter and Drake Cameron’s PRIME NUMBER taking class honors crossing at 14:12:39, nearly an hour ahead of the next boat.  Davis King and David Sharp/s ALLONS-Y was second home at 15:06:43 and crossing third in a near dead-heat at 15:06:51 was David Fried and Paul Schroeder’s SON OF A SON.

There was an enormous turnout for the J/105s, with eighteen boats showing up on the starting line headed every which way! The winner, again, went to a CCW team.  Will and Jayden Benedict’s ADVANTAGE 3 easily won, crossing at 13:47:58. Chasing them hard on the CCW option was Chris Kim and Carl Plant’s VUJA STAR, finishing just under five minutes behind at 13:52:29.  First CW team was Morgan and Jordan Paxhia’s STILL PINCHIN with a finish time of 14:12:59- a 20-minute delta to the CCW boats!  Read about the whale of a tale collision with Adam Spiegel’s JAM SESSION below.

The big boys sailing in the six-boat J/120 class saw one boat dominate by nearly an hour over their not-so-lucky classmates. Steve Madeira and Jeff Lawson sailed the big green MR MAGOO over the horizon, finishing at 14:16:15 off GGYC. Second home at 15:02:42 was Timo Bruck and Rich Hudnut’s TWIST and third on the podium was Tom Grennan and Herb Kleekamp’s KOOKABURRA crossing the line at 15:06:37.

J/24 sailing Three Bridge FiascoPHRF CLASSES
Class 2- Singlehanded Spin PHRF 108 and Under class- was won in convincing fashion by Jim Hopp’s J/88 WHITE SHADOW, finishing at 14:36:41, 23 minutes ahead of the next boat in class!

Class 6- Doublehanded Non-Spin PHRF class- saw two J/Duos do well.  Taking the silver was William Mohr and Mark Townsend’s J/124 SPIRIT OF FREEDOM, crossing at 14:49:19.  Meanwhile, Steve and Eli Gordon’s J/88 INCONCEIVABLE placed sixth, finishing at 15:05:47.

Class 8- Doublehanded Spin PHRF 111-159 class- saw Gregg Wrisley and Craig Collins’ J/80 PK take fifth place, crossing at 14:50:04.

Class 20- Doublehanded SF Bay 30 class- was nearly swept by J/Sailors.  Winning was Alex Huang and Jeff Bruton’s J/29 L20, crossing at 13:55:59.  Second was Luther Izmirian and Ken Brown’s J/32 PARADIGM finishing at 14:58:29 and then fourth was John Riley and Larry Weinhoff’s J/32 LA DOLCE VITA crossing at 15:05:55.

Class 21- Singlehanded Spin class- saw Ralph Morganstern’s J/30 GEODESIC take fourth place, finishing at 15:46:35.

A Clockwise Perspective- from Robert Johnston
“After studying the wind forecast and currents, several of us singlehanders planned to go CCW (partly to avoid traffic).

But, on my way to the course and right up until my approach to the start, I kept looking over towards Treasure Island/ Yerba Buena Island and it looked very light. I also observed the majority of the Moore 24's and Express 27's (where many of the best sailors are) going “clockwise” to Blackaller first, so that's what I did. Of course, my friends, who went CCW, probably beat me- I know at least one that did, by a half-hour!

I got a good start and had a nice close reach down to Blackaller, finding a decent gap to get around the mark. Then, I made my second mistake. Lots of boats risked the remaining ebb and sailed towards the north tower of Golden Gate Bridge. Many had been swept out the Gate last year. But, it must have been flooding well at the north end.

I took a more conservative route and headed towards Angel Island. Going south of the island looked like light air, so I planned to tack across to the entrance to Raccoon Strait - the pressure looked good up the west side of Angel Island. This worked out well but I got caught in a huge hole near Pt. Stuart. I'd beaten the boats that sailed the farther distance, but then I had to watch most of them pass by while I was stuck in the wind hole. Once I got moving again, I had a decent sail through the Strait and up to Red Rock.

The NE wind was strange up there. Boats to the east were on starboard tack in good breeze, sailing high enough to round from the east side. The boats to the west were on port tack in lighter breeze. Trying to cross over to the east was disastrous - there was a transition zone in the middle (probably from the island's wind shadow) that trapped many boats, including me. So I lost a few more boats before getting across into the better breeze and getting around. Then many of us got trapped again trying to get away from the island. It was also still ebbing up there, which wasn't in the forecast. We've seen this in other years due to runoff.

I hoisted right away and enjoyed a tight spinnaker reach all the way down and around Treasure/ Yerba Buena Islands. The puffs put the boat on the edge and I actually dialed up once near SH Shoal light. The boat was pressed pretty hard just then, with the main a bit over-sheeted. I wanted to see where the edge was, and there was just enough breeze to find out.

Rounding Yerba Buena Island was tricky. Many boats took a wide lane to avoid its wind shadow but there was a narrow band of breeze up closer to the island. I saw a couple boats with spinnys still up, moving right on through. I followed them and passed a bunch of boats.

Then, the spinny came down and we all fought the flood as we tacked back up towards Pier 39. There were lots of boats doing this and frequent crossing issues. As a singlehander, I chose to duck several times when I could have pressed my rights- it just wasn't worth all the angst, possible crash tacks, extra grinding etc. This is where the Three Bridge is getting old for me: Far too many double-handers who are better able to play that game.

Once around Pier 39, it was a fast close reach to the finish with the jib on a rail lead. I finished just after 1500.

Conclusion: We were racing sailboats on a sunny day, with breeze, in January, on San Francisco Bay! What's not to like? I never put on a jacket. I finished the race and there were still quite a few boats behind me!!”

Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault- J/22 winners
“We had a reverse order start at Golden Gate YC in either direction. Nicole and I chartered a J/22 from St. Francis YC.

We decided that based on tide, we would go clockwise. We won our fleet. However, Will Benedict in his dad’s J/105 ADVANTAGE 3 went counter-clockwise and crushed; they finished way ahead of everyone!

Course length was 21 miles, winds were light, around 6-8 kts from the Northeast. We started late in the ebb tide, which then turned into a light flood tide, making it hard to get around Treasure Island. Some boats, like Scott Sellers in his J/70 1FA, reported losing 70 places there! We passed at least that many boats by cutting inside them along the southeast corner. But, then we lost around 20 of those as the big boats caught up and passed us. The winning move there for us on the J/22 was to get to the city front near the ferry building and short tack the docks in a substantial early ebb, hugging the shore all the way back to the finish line at Golden Gate YC.”

J/105 hits whale in Three Bridge FiascoA Whale of a Tale
A pair of racers in the Bay Area's popular Three Bridge Fiasco race were left rudderless after a collision with a whale in the middle of the San Francisco Bay on Saturday.

Adam Spiegel, a technology CFO in San Francisco, and his partner had been roughly an hour into the 334-boat race around the Bay's three central bridges before the incident occurred. They'd rounded one the race's marks up by Fort Point and were heading across Bay toward the Richmond-San Rafael bridge when JAM SESSION, their J/105 sailboat, abruptly came to a stop.

"All of a sudden it felt like we'd ran aground," Spiegel told SFGATE.

A second or two later, Spiegel said, there was another thud, followed by another thud. Then, the pair heard a loud, cracking noise and what sounded like a splintering sound.

After that, a gray whale, which Spiegel estimated to be at least 25 feet long, surfaced next to them. Spiegel couldn't see any blood in the water or damage to the whale, but they wondered if the whale was going to "come after" them like Moby Dick!

Then, they wondered if their boat was going to sink. They figured out they'd lost partial steerage and couldn't get back safely on their own.

Spiegel and his partner contacted the dockmaster of the St. Francis Yacht Club, they came out in a powerboat to rescue the pair and tow them back safely.

The boat's rudder was dislodged and the underside of the boat was scraped up by the whale, Spiegel said.

It's still not clear what injuries the whale sustained. Ship collisions are a frequent cause of death for whales along the California coast.  Here is the story on SFGate.com

J/24s sailing Three Bridge FiascoBrandon Mercer- new J/24 sailor
“It was a first for the Three Bridge Fiasco for me! First time on WOOF. First time doublehanding a J/24 in a race. First time meeting the skipper. We clicked! Awesome stuff!

We finished fourth in our fleet!  22 nautical miles in 5 hours 43 minutes!

The crazy part? Like over 300 boats and you can start in any direction and round the bridges in any direction. Huge fleets sailing head on into one another, with just 1-2 people on boats to look at the traffic. Lots of fiberglass touching some years. This year less of a fiasco because we had solid wind and WOOF’s team planned a smart route taking into account tides by each hour.

Sailed from before dawn, finished at incredible time of 3:14 PM in the afternoon, and back at dock and buttoned up before sunset!”  For more Three Bridge Fiasco sailing information
 

Russian J/70 Sailing League winners at SochiM*SAILING TEAM Leads Russian J/70 Winter Sailing League
(Sochi, Russia)- The 2019 Russian J/70 Winter Sailing League has been racing off Sochi, Russia (site of the 2014 Winter Olympics) with sailing taking place in the eastern parts of the Black Sea.  A huge summer resort, Sochi has continued to grow as a base for lots of winter activities in the mountains north of the city. A fleet of a dozen J/70s are based at the Sochi Sailing Center, managed by FGBU “Yug Sport”, so that the thirteen teams from across the far reaches of Russia can compete on the water and sail a lot of waters in a short amount of time. 

Russian J/70s sailing off Sochi NSL Winter Series III
Ten teams took part in the third event from January 12th to 13th. The fleet was not blessed with good weather conditions. In fact, it was downright miserable.  The yachtsmen were met with cold, torrential rain and just moderate winds.  On the first day of racing, all sailing was canceled after just two races due to a lack of breeze.  However, despite more rain on Sunday, there was more than enough breeze to hold up to six more races for each of the crews.

“The New Year threw us a monkey wrench,” joked the Chief Judge of the competition, Nikolai Yushkov. “But, in principle, everyone was happy. True, on the first day we barely managed to hold two races. Although it was pouring rain, the wind was only good for two races. But, it all worked out on the second day, when a very good wind was blowing- up to 30 knots in the bigger gusts! Well done to all the participants, they all coped with the challenges on Sunday. The only damages we could see may have been a few egos! There were no crashes, no protests, either.  Amazing! The teams sailed well, it was wet and wild for them!”

The third stage of the NSL series was the most difficult so far of the three events. A number of boats suffered some severe broaches, but survived to tell the tale; most importantly, with no ripped spinnakers. Others managed to “submarine” up to the mast in the steep, choppy waves off the Sochi waterfront!

The crew of the M*SAILNG Team XO saw a new crew member for the regatta- Mikhail Poslamovsky.  He took third place in the first stage of the series as part of the M*SAILING Team, but took on a new role for himself, this time as skipper. Despite the difficult weather conditions in which the regatta took place, he considered the experience a success; the results speak for themselves. In the last three races, his team had two 2nds a 3rd.

"I felt great, even comfortable! I would like to sail another couple of races in order to improve my result," said Poslamovsky. “Our team has already improved, we feel that we are ready to go further. Compared to other big boats, the J/70 seems much better, much more comfortable. It is more maneuverable, it accelerates faster. It is much more interesting to race the J/70 than other racing yachts! In general, there is no comparison! We plan to continue to race in the Winter Series, then hopefully go to the Premier Division and win!”

The winner of the stage was again the “leading” crew from Rostov-on-Don, the M*SAILING Team. This was not surprising, considering their record of three 1st, three 2nds, and one 3rd for a total of only 12 pts in 7 races! According to the team members, their performance was a result of constant training.

Russian J/70s sailing off Sochi in league regatta“Before this stage, Andrei Malygin and I worked out here on the Laser,” said Alexey Borisov, the Captain/ Coach of the M*SAILNG Team. “We had a training program, we worked hard. And, we wanted to learn more about the winds in Sochi.  Andrei has a good understanding of the wind, an understanding of how the boat goes and everything else. At the present stage, I have him focusing only on tactics, not just boat speed. The training we did gave us a lot experience. And, of course, for this regatta, we do not exclude an element of luck; it is always present in sailing. We are lucky again. We plan to continue to increase the pace; it is good to complete the NSL Winter Series and the J/70 Winter Series in Monaco. In general, we have ambitious plans. We want to work harder, we strive to win, and I think everything will work out.”

Second place in the January regatta went to the crew of WILD DIVISION, skippered by Alexander Bozhko, representing the Chechen Republic. The team, which debuted in the series at the last stage and took second place, again lost only to the winners of the regatta. This time, the crew was strengthened by the President of the Chechen Sailing Federation- Hasan Khadzhiev.

“This was not our first time on the J/70.  Both myself and crew have trained on them.  However, this was our first time in such crazy, cold, rainy, windy conditions,” said Khadzhiev. Laughing, he said, “I promised my crew sun and fun in Sochi and a nice warm beach with beautiful women! But, it turned out the opposite- cold, rain and no sand, no women anywhere! Hahaha. In general, it was a test of myself and the crew. We did a good job on the coordination of our team for our upcoming regattas in the National Sailing League.”

Khadzhiev continued to explain, “the Federation of Sailing Sports of the Chechen Republic has only existed since December 2016.  Since that time, we have not just entered sailing, we have burst onto it! We have won prizes in both Russian and international competitions.  When they announced our team for this Russian J/70 National Sailing League as "the team of the Chechen Republic", people no longer have a panic in their eyes! Instead, they say, it’s amazing they came here to sail, and they look at us as genuine rivals on the race course! Of course, none of this would happen without the support of the President of our Chechen Republic- Ramzan Kadyrov. He has drawn attention to our sport, is promoting it in our republic, and helped us develop the sailing program. Now, our main task is to pay attention to sailing within the republic itself. Until we have children on the water, until we have our own sailing school, it’s difficult to talk about the future of the sailing federation. Nevertheless, we will grow sailing for everyone!”

The bronze medals were won by the crew of THREE 2 Sailing Team, skippered by Alexandra Peterson. Their team won the first stage of the NSL Winter Series, but unfortunately, missed the second. However, another successful performance in Sochi gives them a good chance to fight for the overall victory in the series.

Russian J/70 sailing off Sochi setting spinnakerNSL Winter Series IV
The fourth stage of the Russian J/70 Winter Series was, again, sailed in Sochi and hosted by FGBU “Yug Sport”.  Thirteen teams attended the event.

For the first time in four stages, the crews did not have to freeze and soak in the rain. Optimism abounded across the fleet as a great breeze filled in for the first day of racing on Saturday. The sailing was so good, the organizers managed to hold eight races. The participants of the Winter Series also pinned great hopes on Sunday, but the weather again brought a surprise.

“On the second day, we decided to start the race earlier,” said Nikolai Yushkov, the main judge of the competition. “However, the start had to be postponed from 1030 hrs to almost 1200 hrs.  The morning wind died.  Then it went into a 360 and it was very, very difficult to catch at least some stretch of wind so that you could carry out a race. As a result, we miraculously managed to hold four races, and the fifth had to be canceled because it shifted and died again.”

In the fourth stage, the struggle for victory in the series reached a new level. Many teams decided to strengthen their line-ups and trained with special diligence- everyone wanted to beat the crew from Rostov-on-Don, the M*SAILING Team that was in the lead after three stages. And, the efforts actually bore fruit for some team. For example, the East-West team, which was eighth in the last regatta, dramatically improved its position this time, taking fifth place.

“For us, this was actually a great result,” commented Andrei Zuev of the EAST-WEST team. “To bypass such pre-eminent and famous teams- it's great! It was possible to achieve success through training with an experienced and famous yachtsman- Konstantin Besputin. Before, we did a lot of things a little bit wrong. Kostya made fine-tuning a focus of our team. And, the results were fantastic. We got two 1sts in eight races- for us it's just super! We will definitely improve further, train further. We hope that in the final we will not look bad.”

Changes occurred in the crew of MATRYOSHKA. For the first time, Leonid Tarasov acted as a helmsman. And, the team immediately took seventh place- beating many experienced teams.

Russian J/70s sailing downwind under spinnaker“Wonderful training programs helped us,” said Leonid Tarasov. “But, of course, we still have to learn a lot more. The first time we race, we tanked and it sucked for us. Now, we were absolutely delighted with our improvements. The steering is cool. Of course, I want to continue skippering and learning how to go faster. It is good if we manage to keep the lineup that we had here, along with our coaches- Musikhin and Yuri Popov. I feel comfortable with them, they seem to be happy with me, too. The result is, of course, from a lot of hard work. And, I understand that I will try to improve our performance, somehow. Everything was very calm. Once there was a false start, but that race was canceled!  Thank goodness. And so, for us, a wonderful stage! We loved Sochi- cool weather, much better than all three previous stages. We will participate in the following regattas and develop!”

To develop and train is what both Rostov crews are set up for. And the plans and ambitions of Rostovites are very serious; already they plan to take part in the Premier Division of the National Sailing League and win. The fact that these are not just words, but a specific task is indicated by the serious progress of the teams in the NSL Winter Series. The debutante of the last stage- the crew of the M*SAILING XO Team- has already managed to bypass ten strong teams in their second event to take the third place.

“We trained a lot and prepared for this stage. And, most importantly, we were mentally/ psychologically tuned,” said Mikhail Poslamovsky, the helmsman of M*SAILING XO.  “It was mentally difficult, it is very hard to sail calmly and focused when rivals are near you, for me at least. I want to do more driving, to learn how to go fast, stay calm, and get ahead. But, in general, everything was very positive. I treat this as a workout, adjusting myself so as not to get upset. Well, it turns out to be happy sometimes. My team is on fire. We will further develop, train and achieve results. To more victories!"

Russian J/70 sailing upwindThe silver medals of the stage were won by the crew of BATTLESHIP I with Vladimir Lyubomirov on the steering wheel. Their tally of five 2nds and three 3rds was by far the most consistent of any team in the regatta.  Only a disastrous Race 7 where they posted a 7th ruined their chances for the overall regatta win.

Winning only two races, but keeping very steady top three race results, were the ultimate winners for the third regatta in row- the M*SAILING Team from Rostov-on-Don.

“Probably, it is lady luck or dumb luck, that we manage to win everything,” commented skipper Andrei Malygin, laughing at himself. “We try to stay out of trouble and, hopefully, we try to win further. The next stage of the Winter Series will be missed because we are going to the J/70 races in Monaco- to participate in the famous Primo Cup- Trophee Credit Suisse. In Sochi, there will be only one of our crew - M*SAILING Team XO.”

The absence of a three-time winner of the NSL Winter Series stages at the next regatta will give opponents a chance to close the gap on the leaders.  Sailing photo credits- Elena Razin  Russian J/70 Sailing League information   Follow Russian J/70 Class here on Facebook   Follow Russian Yachting Federation here on Facebook   Follow the Russian J/70 Sailing League on Facebook here
 

Italian J/24s racing off Rome, ItalyLA SUPERBA Leads Italian J/24 Winter Series
AMERICAN PASSAGE Leading the Lozzi Trophy
(Anzio & Nettuno, Rome, Italy)- With two beautiful days of sailing with moderate breezes, the Roman J/24 fleet enjoyed great racing on the Gulf of Anzio southwest of Rome.  The fleet was sailing for the Lozzi Trophy on Saturday and the Anzio & Nettuno Winter Series on Sunday.

Shifty Saturday @ Lozzi Trophy
Saturday’s sailing was marked by partly cloudy skies, plenty of sun, and very shifty offshore winds for the ten-boat fleet.  Three races were completed by the end of the day. Victories went to ITA 458 ENJOY 2 sailed by Luca Silvestri, ITA 487 AMERICAN PASSAGE skippered by Paolo Rinaldi and to ITA 36 FLETCHER LYN sailed by Stefano Renoglio.

As a result of Saturday’s racing, leading after six races in the overall Lozzi Trophy standings is AMERICAN PASSAGE with a 4-3-1-2-1-2 scoreline for 9 pts.  The balance of the top three overall includes ENJOY 2 in second with scores of 3-2-2-1-2-4 for 10 pts and, in third place, is FLETCHER LYNN with a tally of 2-5-3-5-5-1 for 16 pts.

J/24 sailing off Rome, ItalyPretty Sunday for Winter Series
The second day of sailing produced three more races for the twenty-one J/24s on the Gulf of Anzio.  The day started off spectacularly, but menacing black clouds loomed on the horizon as the fleet, again, sailed in easterly winds of 10-13 kts.

Winners on Sunday were determined by who completed the podium behind the domination of ITA 416 LA SUPERBA; their performance was unstoppable, posting three straight bullets! Skipper Ignazio Bonanno from the Italian Navy and his crew of Vincenzo Vano, Francesco Picaro, Alfredo Branciforte and Francesco Linares were delighted with the outcome, further lengthening their already insurmountable lead in the overall Winter Series- now counting 9 bullets!

In the first race, behind LA SUPERBA was ITA 428 PELLE ROSSA sailed by Gianni Riccobono and ITA 447 PELLE NERA helmed by Paolo Cecamore, second and third, respectively.  In the following race, it was AMERICAN PASSAGE and ENJOY 2 in 2nd and 3rd.

After ten races in the overall Winter Series, LA SUPERBA continues to lead by a substantial margin. However, the balance of the podium is currently tied between two boats at 43 pts each; ITA 385 J ARMED JUDGE (Riccardo Aleandri, Antimo Bruno, Fulvio Marchionni, Fabio Di Bartolomeo, Vito Esposito and Fabiana Onori) and Luca Silvestri’s ENJOY 2.

Sunday ended with the traditional pasta and wine party on the terrace of the Circolo Della Vela, a celebration greatly appreciated by all twenty-one teams!  For more Italian J/24 Class sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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J/24 Worlds berths for women and youth* Women & Youth Team Opportunities for J/24 Worlds
The International J/24 Class Association Regatta Regulations allow opportunities for Women and Youth in the J/24 class at any major event.

One all-female crew per country, to be selected by each governing J/24 national authority, will be eligible to sail the J/24 World Championship to compete for the Jaeger J/24 World Championship Women’s Trophy.

One Under-25 crew per country, to be selected by each governing J/24 national authority, will be eligible to sail the J/24 World Championship to compete for the Under-25 Turner Trophy. The crew members shall all be 24 years of age or under on the first day of championship racing.

The 2019 J/24 World Championship will be held in Miami, Florida from October 19th to 26th, 2019, with sailing taking place on the beautiful azure waters of Biscayne Bay.

The US J/24 Class is accepting applications for the Women and Youth berths. Interested parties should click on and complete the following forms in their entirety by April 1st, 2019.

2019 US J/24 Women’s Worlds Berth Application: https://bit.ly/2BbzFs8

2019 US J/24 Under-25 Worlds Berth Application: https://bit.ly/2GdJeKm


J/24s sailing off Miami, Biscayne Bay * US J/24 Class Association Awards Third Annual Boat Grant to Matt Miranda from Ronkonkoma, New York!
The US J/24 Class Association has awarded the third annual Kelly Holmes-Moon J/24 Boat Grant to Matt Miranda from Ronkonkoma, New York. The Program is named in honor of Kelly Holmes-Moon, a long-time supporter of the J/24 Class Association who served as US Class President and as the Copyright Holder’s Representative.

For the 2019 season, the boat will see weekly action at Sayville Yacht Club with J/24 Fleet 182. The Boat Grant team plans to participate in a number of events including the US Nationals in Rochester, NY, Changing of the Colors Regatta in Lake George, NY, Charleston Race Week in Charleston, SC, and they are applying to be the Under-25 team at the World Championship in Miami, FL. Class members will mentor the young team, as well as the other individuals who applied for the Program.

Matt has more than a decade of J/24 experience, having crewed on multiple World Championship campaigns, numerous District and national events, and has skippered at US Nationals and local Fleet 182 series racing. His team will consist of a mix of younger J/24 sailors and seasoned veterans, who will surely help them grow over the next year. “I am incredibly honored to receive the grant boat this year! Excited to see some new faces, and some old, as we travel around to our nine or more scheduled events. Come say hi if you see us! I would like to thank the US J/24 Class and the Boat Grant Committee for making this possible and for helping me achieve a lifelong dream.”

The Kelly Holmes-Moon J/24 Boat Grant Program encourages talented young sailors to gain first-hand experience racing within the J/24 Class of one-design sailboats at virtually no cost. Dave Eggleton donated the boat, USA 423, to the program, providing the Scholarship Boat recipients with the experience to escalate their level of competitiveness and inspire them to accomplish great things in the sailing world. The team is in need of contributions to help fund their campaign. To find out how you can help, e-mail director@j24class.org. 

The application process for the 2020/2021 Kelly Holmes-Moon J/24 Boat Grant Program will begin in the fall of 2019. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

J/Newsletter- January 23rd, 2019

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

For many sailors, the third week of January long stood for that “Woodstock-like” festival of sailing that took place in Key West, Florida every winter. It was a favorite both for Europeans as well as those in the frozen parts of North America.  Continuing at least part of that tradition has been the Storm Trysail Club’s annual Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race, a 160.0nm dash down around the Florida Keys.  This year four J/Crews participated with all collecting silverware!

Meanwhile, J/70 teams were busy on both sides of the Atlantic.  In Europe, the Yacht Club de Monaco hosted their third act of the Monaco J/70 Winter Sportsboat Series on Hercules Bay in front of Monte Carlo.  As host of the 2021 J/70 Worlds, there is no question the interest levels have started to surge to head down to warmer climate of the Mediterranean and go for a sail.  Meanwhile, in southern Florida, the second event of the Bacardi J/70 Winter Series took place on Biscayne Bay in somewhat breezy conditions.

Below in the J/Community section, one can find a newly updated, and greatly expanded, J/121 North Sails Speed Guide.  It is a good read since many of their speed, tuning, sail-handling, boat-handling tips are quite applicable to many other sprit-sailed J/Boats across our range.

Also, the J/35 One-Design Class in Detroit, Michigan is organizing a J/35 offshore crew seminar to teach any sailor how to race offshore- six days at five hours per day!  Check it out below!
 

J/Fest St Petersburg J/111 classJ/Fest St Petersburg Regatta Preview
(St Petersburg, FL)- The third weekend of January marks the occasion for the annual J/Fest St Petersburg Regatta, hosted by the St Petersburg YC in Florida.  Sailing will take place from January 25th to 27th, with the teams of J/88s and J/111s racing on Tampa Bay.

The regatta represents the 2019 J/88 Midwinter Championship, with a half-dozen crews participating from the Midwest and the Northeast. Many top crews in the class will be looking forward to a break from the frigid temperatures up North. No one would be surprised if Andy Graff’s EXILE team is already on the road headed south from Chicago, IL to escape the sub-zero temperatures in the upper Midwest! From the J/88 class sailing St Petersburg J/Festnortheast, watch for these teams to be near the top of the leaderboard; Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION from New Rochelle, NY; Dave Tufts’ GAUCHO from Rochester, NY; and Mike Bruno’s WINGS from American YC in Rye, NY.

Similarly, the J/111s will be hosting their Midwinter Championship for the fleet of four boats. Last year’s winner- Jeff Davis’ SHAMROCK from Cleveland, OH- will have to contend with battling a fellow Cleveland team for top honors- Rob Ruhlman and family aboard their famous SPACEMAN SPIFF.  In addition, Andrew & Sedgwick Ward’s BRAVO from Shelter Island, NY and Ian Hill’s SITELLA from Hampton, VA will be mixing it up with the Cleveland gang for class honors.  For more J/FEST St Petersburg Regatta sailing information
 

J/121 racing Festival of Sails- Geelong, AustraliaFestival of Sails Preview
Australian J/111 Champs Preview
(Geelong, Vic, Australia)- A fleet of more than 270 boats will compete in the 2019 Festival of Sails, Australia’s biggest celebration of sailing, which kicks off with the 176th Passage Race from Melbourne to Geelong on Australia Day.  The regatta runs from January 26th to 28th and is hosted by the Royal Geelong Yacht Club.

Festival of Sails Chairman Stuart Dickson said, “It’s fantastic to see so many keelboat entries with participants coming from nearly every part of Australia and international competitors heading to Geelong in the coming days from Malaysia and the United States. We expect about 3,000 participants will take part in the event and we are already seeing boats arriving at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club in preparation for the Festival of Sails. We are looking forward to welcoming more competitors over coming days, ahead of what is looking like three spectacular days of sailing on the beautiful flat waters of Corio Bay.”

Australia's Festival of SailsTens of thousands of people are expected to flock to the Geelong waterfront over the Australia Day long weekend. Complementing the sailing is the Waterfront Festival, presented by Geelong Connected Communities, which will provide visitors with a smorgasbord of activities, live music and the Regional Artisan Fair, showcasing local produce.

The Royal Australian Airforce’s elite formation aerobatic display team, the “Roulettes”, will also make a stunning return to Geelong. They will perform a breathtaking 15 minute aerial display in their PC-9/A aircraft, over the Royal Geelong Yacht Club and Eastern Beach Reserve, from 1pm on January 26.

The Royal Australian Navy Band, one of Australia’s most widely recognized military bands, will also entertain crowds on Australia Day, with two sets starting at 12:30pm, from the Eastern Beach Reserve stage.

A fireworks display, proudly sponsored by AirAsia, will be held at 9.15pm on Australia Day. The best vantage points will be from Eastern Beach Reserve and Ritchie Boulevard.

Australian J/111 Nationals boatsThe event is concurrently hosting the 2019 J/111 Australian Nationals.  The very competitive fleet includes Rod Warren’s JOUST, Stu Lyon’s JAKE, Matt Powell’s PLAYLIST, Rob Date’s SCARLETT RUNNER 11, and Phil Simpendorfer’s VELOCE.

Meanwhile, sailing in the offshore, random-leg, handicap racing divisions will be a number of other J/Crews. In the AMS Cruising Division is the new J/121 JAVELIN. She was newly commissioned this year and is based in Mornington.  The crew has steadily optimized their performance and is proud to be the recent winners of the ORCV 2018 Winter Series.  Skipper/ owner Mark Nicholson and crew will have their hands full taking on many of Australia’s best offshore teams.

The Passage+Twilight and Corio Bay series include many members of the ubiquitous Australian J/24 class. Those teams include Peter Kirman’s BAILE DE LUNA, Jeff Harris’ FUN, Pauliina Mattila’s BRUSCHETTA VI, Simon Grain’s JET, Chris Ravesi’s SANGUINE, and Miles Hurrell’s SCRUMPY.  Follow the Festival of Sails on Facebook here   For more Festival of Sails sailing information
 

J/70s Sailing Champions League- St Moritz, Switzerland95 Clubs In 2019 SAILING Champions League Qualifiers
(Hamburg, Germany)- For the first time ever, ninety-five clubs from the National Sailing Leagues will participate in the SAILING Champions League 2019 qualification process that culminates in the SCL Finale to be sailed, yet again, in St. Moritz, Switzerland in August.

“The fact that we are hosting three qualifying events shows the growing importance of the SAILING Champions League and also of the National Sailing Leagues”, says the CEO of the SAILING Champions League (SCL), Oliver Schwall, after the draw that took place on Wednesday in Hamburg (Germany).

The first qualifier will be hosted by the Club Nautic S’Arenal in Palma de Mallorca, Spain from May 9th to 12th in their fleet of J/80s.

Two weeks later, from May 23rd to 26th, the second regatta will take place in Porto Cervo in Sardinia, Italy. For the fifth year in a row, the Italians from Yacht Club Costa Smeralda are hosting an SCL event as one of their top sailing regattas in their matched fleet of one-design J/70s.

The third qualifier will take place from July 4th to 7th in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Russian city and Saint Petersburg Yacht Club are hosting the SAILING Champions League for the fourth year in their fleet of matched one-design J/70s.

In this year’s qualifying events, the SCL will grant “wildcard slots” to the new National Sailing Leagues from Estonia, Portugal, Spain and Belgium.

At the SCL final in the Swiss Alps, 24 clubs will compete for the trophy.  The fleet will include three clubs with wildcard slots; the hosting club Segel-Club St. Moritz, one club from Australia and one from New Zealand/ Oceania.

Livestream and results by SAP
As with all SAILING Champions League events, the racing will be live broadcasted by SAP, with expert commentators providing blow-by-blow analysis of the racing, aided by the detail provided by SAP Sailing Analytics. The SAP Sailing Analytics provide 24/7 additional statistics and data for sailors, fans, spectators and media. Watch how your favorite team performs with GPS tracking, real-time analysis, and the live leaderboard combined with 2D visualization. You will find all results on SAP SAILING (http://www.sapsailing.com)!   For more 2019 SAILING Champions League information here
 

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jan 17-20- J/70 Monaco Winter Series III- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Jan 19-20- Bacardi J/70 Winter Series II- Miami, FL
Jan 24-27- J/Fest St Petersburg- St Petersburg, FL
Jan 26-28- Festival of Sails- Geelong, Vic, Australia
Feb 7-10- J/70 Monaco Winter Series IV/ Primo Cup- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Feb 9-10-  Davis Island J/70 Series III- Tampa, FL
Feb 15-17- Helly Hansen St Petersburg NOOD- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 21-24- J/70 Midwinter Championship- Miami, FL
Mar 6-9- Bacardi Cup- J/70 Winter Series III- Miami, FL
Mar 14-17- J/70 Monaco Winter Series V- Monte Carlo, Monaco

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

Key West sunset 
J/Crews Fly Around Florida Keys
Fast Ft Lauderdale to Key West Race
(Fort Lauderdale, FL)- The 2019 edition of the Storm Trysail Club’s Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race started at 1000 hours last Wednesday in a light east/northeasterly breeze of 4-7 kts.  The fleet took off on port tack, with most of the big boats sporting either Code Zero’s or A1 spinnakers. While not setting any records, the fleet enjoyed near postcard perfect sailing conditions offshore with a warm breeze powering the boats down to Key West in about 24 hours for most boats (about a 6.7 kts average).

In the ORC B handicap class, it was Chris Lewis’ J/44 KENAI from Lakewood YC in Seabrook, TX that took line honors for the J/Teams and second in class on handicap calculation.  In addition, rounding out the podium with the bronze was Andy Wescoat’s J/109 HARM’S WAY from Galveston Bay Cruising Association in Spring, TX.

A similar scenario played out in PHRF B handicap class.  Continuing their string of epic performances, Brad Stowers’ J/92 HILLBILLY took the silver while Matt Self’s J/105 RUCKUS took the bronze.   Follow the SORC Series on Facebook here  For more SORC Key West Race sailing information
 

J/70 Catapult win Bacardi Winter Series IICATAPULT Takes Bacardi J/70 Winter Series Act II
(Coconut Grove, FL)- The 2019 Bacardi Invitational Winter Series continued with the second event of the 3-stage inaugural series on January 19-20 in Miami, FL. With two-dozen J/70 teams from the USA, Monaco, Germany, and Great Britain on the line, Biscayne Bay delivered two distinctly different days for the competition.

Three races were completed for the J/70s on day one in 10-12 knots and sunny skies. However, the remnants of Winter Storm Harper proved disruptive for day two. Once the system passed, a cloudy and colder WSW breeze at 15-18 knots allowed for two more races.

Starting off with a mid-fleet finish in the first race, Joel Ronning’s CATAPULT team of Patrick Wilson, Victor Diaz De Leon, and Chris Stocke set a blistering hot pace for the remaining four races, peeling off a 4-1-1-2 to win with just 8 pts net. For this team, that is two wins in two weekends of racing J/70s, first Tampa Bay, then Biscayne Bay!

Yet another J/70 World Champion was chasing the CATAPULT team hard and keeping Ronning’s crew honest; that would be Peter Duncan’s World Championship caliber crew on RELATIVE OBSCURITY (Willem van Waay, Bill Hardesty, and Will Felder) that posted a very steady performance, collecting a 2-6-4-3-4 for 13 pts net to take the silver.

Taking the bronze with a record of 1-1-8-4-10 for 14 pts net was Bruce Golison’s MIDLIFE CRISIS with crew of Jeff Reynolds, Steve Hunt, and Erik Shampain.

TP52 Platoon team sailing a J/70Rounding out the top five was an international affair. Taking fourth place was Germany’s Harm MĂ¼ller-Spreer, skippering a “baby” PLATOON. Harm normally sails his World Champion TP 52 of the same name with an awesome “metal plating-look” paint job. His crew of Eric Doyle, John Kostecki, and Doug McLean managed a 4-9-2-5-5 for 16 pts net in their first event as a team.

In fifth was another talented crew from Monte Carlo, Monaco; Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio’s G-SPOTTINO. His team of Alessandro Franci, Ettore Botticini, and Luca Faravelli posted a 9-2-5-7-12 for 23 pts net.  For more Bacardi J/70 Winter Series Act II sailing information
 

J/70 sailing off Monte Carlo, MonacoMARIA Wins Monaco J/70 Winter Series Act III
(Monte Carlo, Monaco)- The new year offered proof the one-design J/70 fleet is thriving in Monaco and Europe, judging by the number that turned out to compete in Act III of the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series, with 40 boats out on the water.

“The race area and conditions were awesome, with a steady wind and flat sea. I was especially impressed by how responsive the Race Committee, the PRO Thierry Leret, and staff were in managing races in such quick succession,” said Ian Wilson, International J/70 Class President. He was racing this weekend on one of the Irish boats (Soak Racing) to see the Yacht Club de Monaco’s organization ahead of the J/70 Worlds that are set to take place in Monaco in 2021.

J/70s sailing off Monte Carlo, MonacoFor certain, the competitive level at the Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series continues to rise. Many new teams were participating in anticipation of the 2021 J/70 Worlds in Monaco. Teams came from Finland (for the first time), Sweden, and so did a veritable armada of Swiss, Germans and Russians, ever-loyal to Monaco’s monthly regattas.

It was tough racing over the weekend and after seven races, the leader was the Russian AndreĂ¯ Malygin skippering MARIA, winning both the Open and Corinthian Divisions! Knowing the record of some of the professionals out on the water, one can only be impressed by Malygin’s Russian team that were always in the lead group, posting an amazingly consistent 1-2-UFD-4-6-2-1 for 16 pts net.

Flanking them on the podium were two Yacht Club de Monaco boats, LoĂ¯c PompĂ©e’s ALLO III who was celebrating his birthday by taking the silver with a very consistent 7-5-6-17-5-3-6 for 32 pts net. Starting out mid-fleet but winning their next two races enabled Ludovico Fassitelli on JUNDA- BANCA DEL SEMPIONE to not only take the bronze, but continue as the leader of the overall winter championship; JUNDA’s record was 16-23-1-1-7-7-4 for 36 pts net.

J/70 Monte Carlo winnersRounding out the top five was the top Swiss team, Florian Geissbuehler’s ATTAQUE with a 3-11-2-18-1-14-8 for 39 pts net and the top Irish team, Marshall King’s SOAK RACING with a 15-16-4-5-10-1-10 tally for 45 pts net, both fourth and fifth, respectively.  Tied on 45 pts with SOAK RACING was the top woman helm, Laurane Mettraux’s Swiss team on CER APROTEC VILLE DE GENEVE.  Remarkably, there was one other team tied on 45 pts, yet another Swiss crew- Jean-Luc Leveque’s SWISS WATCH!

All teams will meet again for the 35th Primo Cup presented by Credit Suisse, and garments from technical clothing supplier SLAM, 7-10 February 2019.

A fine spectacle is in store in the bay of Monaco for this major one-design regatta that has been opening the Mediterranean season for the last 35 years.  For more J/70 Monaco Winter Sportsboat series sailing information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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J/121 North Sails speed guide 
* NEW J/121 Speed Guide!
North Sails experts Kimo Worthington and Chuck Allen answer questions in this speed guide for the J/121 offshore class.

Who sails a J/121?
There are several distinct types of people who sail a J/121, and most are experienced sailors. Some race the boat one design, some race shorthanded or fully crewed offshore, and some head south and cruise the Caribbean. Many are individualists who have been changing keels and adding sails. In the 2018 Newport Bermuda Race, four J/121s raced in three different configurations. The point is, the J/121 is a versatile boat that’s ready to sail offshore, and the sailors who buy one all seem to agree that they’d rather do something other than race windward-leeward course configurations.
J/121 magic heel angle
What’s the ideal J/121 crew size?
That’s a trick question for this boat. The most crew you’ll ever need is five or six, total, for an event like Block Island Race Week. But, the boat was designed for sailing doublehanded. It sails well without water ballast, but it really shines when you fill the windward tank with 850 pounds of water; that’s like having four or five extra people on the rail. Testing in a strong breeze, we have found the performance is spectacular with a reefed main and inner jib.
J/121 cross-over sails chart
If you wish to learn more about sailing this high-performance offshore shorthanded speedster, be sure to read the rest of the 10+ page guide. It discusses sail combinations and cross-over charts, Rig tuning, Sail handling, and Boat handling.   Read it all here on the North Sails J/121 website.


J/35 rounding mark* J/35 Class Seeking Offshore Sailors
A J/35 owner in Detroit, MI- Dean Fitzpatrick- is organizing an offshore racing clinic for just 20 people this May 2019.  It is a six lesson program, five hours per day, that will teach wanna-be offshore racers how to rig, sail, and race one of the most iconic offshore racing sailboats ever designed- the J/35.

Detroit has some of the best offshore sailors in the USA that are going to volunteer their J/35s and time. The boats are WHIPLASH, DEAN’S LIST, FALCON, and BLACKHAWK.

On the last day of the clinic- May 19th- there will be W/L races against several J/35s from the local fleet to test everyone’s knowledge and skills.

A candidate must be at least 18 years old and know how to swim.  The program is open to ANYONE that wishes to learn how to sail offshore. The six-day, five hours per day, program cost is $1,000.  But, you will get ALL your money back IF you race five races on any J/35 (or similar big boat) between May and September 2019.

Please call Dean Fitzpatrick to lock in your enrollment, it just might be the best move you ever made! Call Dean at ph# (989) 305-2985 or (248) 790-0666.  Or, email him at- dean_fitzpatrick@msn.com Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

J/Newsletter- January 16th, 2019

J/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

With Europe buried in snow and ice, one can imagine that just about everyone wished they could be sailing down in the Caribbean at this moment!  With long-term weather forecasts worsening by the week, due to the “polar vortex” splitting into a triad of death circles(!), both Europe and the northern parts of the Americas (e.g. USA and Canada) are about to experience Arctic blasts lasting for weeks (e.g. according to the ECMWF Euro model)!

Basking in sunlight and warm weather were the lucky few that happened to be in Fort Lauderdale, FL this morning.  At 10:00 AM, the Storm Trysail Club’s annual Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race started on time with all boats sporting reaching headsails in lightish easterly breezes.

Just this past week, the U.S. Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman & Yachtswoman of the Year Awards “short-listed” the candidates down to three for both the men’s and women’s categories. Remarkably, the three winners of J/Class World Championship- J/22, J/24, and J/70- were selected as the “podium”, with just one being awarded the overall title.  That was the “first” time ever in the history of America’s most prestigious award that one brand swept the podium!  Bravo to that J/Trio of sailors!

Down in the J/Community section, you can get an excellent perspective on what it takes to participate in one of the world’s true “bucket list” offshore races- the ROLEX Sydney- Hobart Race.  John Murkowski, the owner/ skipper of the J/122E JOY RIDE from Seattle, WA, reflected on their experience racing “the Hobart”; the crazy starting experience, to reaching the Bass Straits in no wind, the magnificence of the “Organ Pipes”, and the wacky sailing up the River Derwent to the finish line off the docks in Hobart.
 

Get Ready for Boot Dusseldorf!
J/99 offshore doublehanded speedster
The massive, world-famous, Dusseldorf Boot Boat Show is taking place from January 19th to 27th in Dusseldorf, Germany.  Renowned as one of the major “arts” centers in Europe, Dusseldorf is both a cultural attraction along the gorgeous Rhine River as well as an amazing boat show to attend- the world’s largest by far!

On-site in Hall 15/ Booth B21 will be J/Composites and the European J/Boats team, presenting the latest J/99 shorthanded offshore speedster, the world champion J/112E sports cruiser, and the world’s most successful sportsboat- the International J/70.  For more 2019 Boot Dusseldorf boat show information
 

J/80s sailing off Bilbao, SpainAnnouncing The 2019 J/80 World Championship!
(Bilbao, Portugal)- From the 13th to 20th of July, the Real Club Maritimo del Abra and the Real Sporting Club will host the 2019 J/80 World Championship in the gorgeous waters off Arenas/ Bilbao (the Basque country of Spain).  The class expects over 75 boats and more than 500 sailors from all over the world that will compete for the title on the challenging conditions of the Cantabrian Sea.

Spain has previously hosted the J/80 World Championship in Santander (2009) and in Sotogrande –CĂ¡diz- (2016).

J/80s sailing off SpainFor the host nation, it will be a real fight for national honors for the top three teams from last year’s 2018 J/80 Copa de Espana that were held on the same waters. Winning that event was ONO EUROFRITS-AVIKO sailed by local Cantabrian Daniel de la Pedraja; the silver went to a J/80 World Champion- BRIBON MOVISTAR- sailed by Marc de Antonio Altimira; and the bronze was taken by a double J/80 World Champion, Ignacio Camino’s PAR!  Will history repeat itself again? Or, will the top French, German, or United Kingdom teams have done enough homework, refined their speed and tuning, to displace those hot Spanish teams from the podium?  There is no question many leading J/80 crews across Europe are already working hard on that idea!

“As Chairman of the RCMA-RSC and skipper on a J/80, I would like to encourage you to take part in the upcoming J/80 World Championships that are going to be held in the Port of Bilbao from the 13th to the 20th of July 2019. Our Club is fully committed to making this regatta a success, especially as it is a one-of-a-kind event for the Club since it was founded 120 years ago.

During race week you will not only be able to enjoy sailing on a magnificent course, but also enjoy a variety of social events organized ashore where you will get a first-hand taste of the wonderful gastronomy and hospitality our Club and our Getxo region. Nearby Bilbao and the Basque Country, in general, are also ideal holiday destinations for you and your companions.

J/80 Worlds SpainI would also like to express my gratitude to the Spanish J/80 Class Association and to other worldwide national associations for their backing of our bid to host these Championships. Likewise, I would also like to thank the public institutions who have given us their full support and the private companies that have helped us in this bid; in particular, BRITTANY FERRIES, COCA COLA, and EL CORREO.

I sincerely hope many J/80 sailors from around the world take part in this fantastic event (an “open” J/80 Worlds), it’s a beautiful place to sail and the food, wine, ambience, hospitality are second to none,” commented the Chairman of the RCMA-RSC, D. RamĂ³n Zubiaga Garteiz-Goxeascoa.

With the practice race scheduled for Sunday, racing commences on Monday, July 15th with the goal to run as many as fifteen races by Friday, July 19th.

At the conclusion of racing, the World Championship title will be awarded along with trophies for the best Women’s team, top Youth team, top Masters, top Mixed, and the top Corinthian crews.  For more 2019 J/80 World Championship sailing information
 

2019 Block Island Race Week Announcement!
(Block Island, RI)- The 28th Edition of the famed Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week will take place from June 23rd to 28th, 2019.  The STC Committee expects 150 boats and the number of racing formats has been expanded to attract an even wider array of yachts; ranging from Grand Prix teams to family-friendly cruising boats. Besides the usual Windward/Leeward racing, there will be Pursuit-start and ‘Solent-Style’ racing formats, too.

IRC, ORC and PHRF are returning, as one might expect. In addition, an exciting, new, innovative format will be introduced– “Plus+1”.  Plus+1 allows the crew to be one person larger than the first digit of hull-length. (30-39’= 4 crew, 40–49’= 5 crew, etc.) Plus+1 fills a sweet spot between double-handing and fully crewed racing, lowering costs and the need for crew. The Plus+1 class will be sailing a windward/ leeward course in the morning and a “random-leg” race around government marks in the afternoon. They will also do the famous Around the Island Race on the day the whole fleet goes around.

A spring schedule of Plus+1 Races is coming together and the first event will be the American Yacht Club Spring Series (April 27, 28 and May 4, 5) where the group will sail courses around government marks. The second race is the Edlu Trophy (May 11), which is a short distance race that goes east 16 miles, rounds a mark and returns to the finish. The third event is the 186-mile Block Island Race (May 24) that goes from Stamford, Ct., around Block Island and the back to Stamford. The last scheduled Plus+1 regatta will be Block Island Race Week.

7 Reasons To Sail Plus+1:
  1. Easier to find enough crew. Reduces the time e-mailing and calling.
  2. Everyone on the boat has a lot of jobs to do. No bored rail meat.
  3. It's safer. If someone gets hurt or goes overboard, two or more people can help.
  4. Teams can sail in a broader range of events; windward/ leewards, race around government marks, and classic distance races.
  5. Saves money. Fewer lunches and fewer post-race cocktails to buy. Rent a smaller house!
  6. Makes your boat better for cruising. Setup to be handled by less people, better for couple cruising
  7. Sail with your friends, not your friends’ friend.
Over time, J/Sailors have been big supporters of their favorite summer race week on the East Coast.  Starting in 1977, the J/24 sailed against the best the MORC Class had to offer and won by a significant margin.  The rest, as they say, was history. Having started an “instant legacy”, droves of J/24s, then J/30s, J/35s, J/29s, and J/44s up to the recent offshore sprit machines like the J/105, J/109, J/111, J/88, J/122, J/120, and the new J/121, will continue to expand on that legacy of J/Boats participation across the board.

J/105 Good Trade- Stone/ Breault winnersSo far, twenty-three J/Teams have signed up for PHRF, ORC, and one-design racing (J/88, J/105, J/109). Will the EVERETT B. MORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY Winner (emblematic of the Overall Winner of BIRW)- the J/105 GOOD TRADE (sailed by Bruce Stone, Nicole Breault, Marc Acheson, Bill Higgins, John Sahagian, and Casey Williams)- repeat their performance from 2017? You will need to go sailing to find out!  Come one, come all, it’s an amazing event run by crackerjack Race Committees and PRO’s organized by the Storm Trysail BIRW Committee. Sailing Photo Credit- Alan Clark/ PhotoBoat.com.   For more Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week sailing information
 

J/22s sailing Nations Cup match racing San FranciscoNations Cup Grand Final Sailing J/22s!
(San Francisco, CA)- St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, CA has been selected by World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, to host the 2019 Nations Cup Grand Final from April 9th to 14th, 2019 and will use its matched fleet of J/22 one-design sailboats. St. Francis Yacht Club previously hosted the Nations Cup back in 1995 using J/24s.

Ten Open and ten Women’s division skippers have registered for the Grand Final, including some of the top world-ranked skippers from various countries.

As winners of the last Nations Cup Grand Final, USA’s Nicole Breault earned a spot in the Women’s division and Russia’s Vladimir Lipavsky earned a spot in the Open. World Sailing Member National Authorities (MNA) filled out the field by nominating their most recent National Match Racing Champions in each division. Nominations were allocated by region to Africa, Asia, Europe, North America & Caribbean, Oceania and South America, and the event will have ten countries represented in the Open and eight countries in the Women’s.   For more Nations Cup Grand Final sailing information
 

Jacksons performing at St Maarten Heineken RegattaAnother J/Family Performs in St Maarten Heineken- “The Jacksons”!
(Simpson Bay, St. Maarten)– The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is famous for world-class racing and attracting some of the world’s top musical acts for their legendary parties. This year is no different. Another famous “J/Family” will be present- Motown royalty, no less! “The Jacksons” (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon), will perform on Sunday, March 3rd, 2019 at the final Awards Ceremony!

St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Production Director, John Leone, comments, “Along with an action-packed race schedule this year, we are ecstatic to announce The Jacksons will headline our final party on Sunday March 3rd, 2019. They need no introduction. We are 100% certain their iconic through-the-decades beloved music will inspire all regatta competitors and party revelers. The Jacksons, will take us on an unforgettable journey through their historic lives and influential musical careers. Hearing this band on this beautiful Caribbean island will be Legendary!”

The Jacksons made history in 1970 as the first recording act whose first four singles reached number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100. In 2017, they celebrated 50 years as one of the most successful groups in music history. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, five brothers from Gary, Indiana, began as the Jackson 5 and later The Jacksons, and rose to fame for their combination of extraordinary musical talent and spectacular choreography.

First signed to Steeltown Records in 1967, The Jacksons found international success with the songs: "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There". Five albums later, the brothers went on The Victory Tour in 1984, and it became the highest-grossing concert series ever staged in the United States. The group, already inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, came to serve as inspiration for several generations of boy bands, including Backstreet Boys, New Edition, N*SYNC, News Kids on the Block, and today, the Jonas Brothers, One Direction, and many more.

J/105 Solstice sailing St Maarten Heineken RegattaThe St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is now in its 39th year, and now sports a brand new 2-handed racing class. The sailing and parties take place over four days, from February 28th to March 3rd, 2019. Four days of World-Class racing mixing perfectly with the awesome Heineken parties, electrifying the island well into the night. The entire event is located at the St. Maarten’s Heineken Regatta Village at the Port de Plaisance Resort, Casino and Yacht Club. Get ready for some Legendary “Serious Fun”!

To date, there are nine members of the J/Family participating, with more rumored to be hopping aboard the bandwagon of “serious fun” soon!  Here are the J/Teams currently registered:
  • Emilio Torres-Requena’s J/130 MAZU from Puerto Rico
  • Roger Gatewood’s J/145 KATARA from the USA
  • Bob Hillier’s J/122 OCASO from the USA
  • Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID from Antigua
  • Kathy Campbell’s J/120 JAGUAR
  • Remco van Dortmondt’s J/105 SUNBELT REALTY JENK from Curacao
  • Peter Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER from Barbados
  • Jordan Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE from USA
  • Tanner & Shari’s J/30 BLUE PETER/ CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE
Follow the action on social media links here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/StMaartenHeinekenRegatta
Twitter – www.twitter.com/sxmheineken
Instagram – www.instagram.com/stmaartenheinekenregatta
YouTube - www.youtube.com/heinekenregatta

Sailing photo credit- Laurens Morel.  For more St. Maarten Heineken Regatta sailing information
 

Regatta & Show Schedules:

Jan 17-20- J/70 Monaco Winter Series III- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Jan 19-20- Bacardi J/70 Winter Series II- Miami, FL
Jan 24-27- J/Fest St Petersburg- St Petersburg, FL
Jan 26-28- Festival of Sails- Geelong, Vic, Australia
Feb 7-10- J/70 Monaco Winter Series IV/ Primo Cup- Monte Carlo, Monaco
Feb 9-10-  Davis Island J/70 Series III- Tampa, FL
Feb 15-17- Helly Hansen St Petersburg NOOD- St Petersburg, FL
Feb 21-24- J/70 Midwinter Championship- Miami, FL
Mar 6-9- Bacardi Cup- J/70 Winter Series III- Miami, FL
Mar 14-17- J/70 Monaco Winter Series V- Monte Carlo, Monaco

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.

Lauderdale Key West Race trackerStorm Trysail Ft Lauderdale- Key West Race Update
(Fort Lauderdale, FL)- The infamous Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race started today at 1000 hours in a light east/northeasterly breeze of 4-7 kts.  The fleet took off on port tack, with most of the big boats sporting either Code Zero’s or A1 spinnakers. The beginning of this a 160.0nm dash down the eastern Florida coastline, bound by the Florida Keys reefs to starboard and the swift-moving 4-6 kt Gulf Stream off to port, does not look like it will set any records of any kind.  However, with the ECMWF Euro forecast showing a steadily increasing breeze clocking into the east/southeast overnight and strengthening to 10-15 kts by Friday evening, it should be a beautiful race!

At this time on Thursday afternoon, leading the J/Fleet is Chris Lewis’ J/44 KENAI from Lakewood YC in Seabrook, TX. They are followed boat-for-boat by Andy Wescoat’s J/109 HARM’S WAY from Galveston Bay Cruising Association in Spring, TX; then Matt Self’s J/105 RUCKUS from Charleston YC in Daniel Island, SC; then Brad Stowers’ J/92 HILLBILLY from Melbourne YC in Melbourne, FL.

If the reaching conditions persist for the next 24 hours (perfect for the asymmetric configured J/Teams- including the J/44 KENAI), don’t be surprised if they all win class and overall!  Follow the fleet on the Kattack Tracker here  Follow the SORC Series on Facebook here  For more SORC Key West Race sailing information
 

J/22 Weatkley team in TexasWeakley Tops 2018 Texas J/22 Circuit
(Houston, TX)- Texas is a stronghold for the J/22 one-design sailing; areas like Galveston Bay can see 18 boats on the line for Wednesday night racing, which makes for plenty of competitive racing. Sailing his J/22 consistently throughout the seven regattas making-up the Texas J/22 Circuit, Doug Weakley (Corpus Christi, TX) came out on top after winning four events and placing well in the remaining three.

The primary keys for his success were Doug’s relentless drive to keep his older boat (hull #24) and his crew competitive. Sporting a new suit of sails, combined with awesome crew-work, good speed, and extraordinary perseverance to do tactically well in all weather conditions, ultimately, led to their tremendous performance.  Here is Doug’s take on the season:

“2018 started out great with Jim Kondziela and Joe Mayfield sailing with me on HNL (#24) at the Houston Yacht Club’s Midwinter regatta. We were really fast throughout the event and starting with a bullet in race one. We were pretty excited about our 6th place finish in the 39-boat fleet, competitive fleet.

J/22 sailing in TexasWe then sailed using our new radial jib at Austin Yacht Club and took first in a competitive fleet made of locals and traveling boats.

We got back into the boat in the fall and took back-to-back wins at Corpus Christi and Canyon Lake yacht clubs and the HYC Heritage Cup. At Corpus, we sailed with the cross-cut jib for power through the chop and we used it again at Canyon Lake in the light conditions. Canyon is all about avoiding a really bad race in the shifty conditions there, and we were the boat that did just that.

At HYC’s Heritage Cup, we went back to the radial jib and we were very fast in all the conditions. Saturday started out in very light air and we were quick in the light stuff, coming back from a terrible start to win the first race. The breeze quickly built and our old boat was set up really well for it. The radial jib was great, the boat just felt really fast. We had great downwind speed also with the new spinnaker design.

We look forward to more success in 2019, beginning with the J/22 Midwinters at Ft Walton Beach in March!” Thanks for contribution from Adam Loory at UK Sails.  For more J/22 Class sailing information
 

US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year finalists
J/Trio Top ROLEX Yachtsman of the Year Awards!

(Newport, RI)- Three J/Sailors are finalists in ROLEX Yachtsman of the Year Awards 2018, based on winning recent World Championships in a J/Boats class - J/22, J/24 and J/70!

This historical occasion marks the first time in the history of the ROLEX Yachtsman & Yachtswoman of the Year awards that a brand has “swept the podium” in the most prestigious individual yachting award in America. Congratulations to Zeke Horowitz (J/22 World Champion in Annapolis, MD); Will Welles (J/24 World Champion in Lake Garda, Italy); and Jud Smith (J/70 World Champion in Marblehead, MA)! May the best man win!

Once again, the annual rundown of the year’s “best in the U.S.” represents a wide range of accomplished sailors from various disciplines and at different stages of their respective careers. The finalists for US Sailing’s 2018 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award are:

- Zeke Horowitz (Annapolis, Md.) – The versatile sailor came out on top at the closely contested J/22 World Championship (Annapolis, Md.) in his home waters. He captured the Flying Scot North American Championship (Rockwall, Texas) and was second at the Viper 640 North American Championship (Kingston, Ontario, Canada).

- Will Welles (Portsmouth, R.I.) – A second J/24 World Championship (Riva del Garda, Italy) title in five years places Welles back on the shortlist for 2018. Welles was the runner-up at the J/24 North American Championship (Charleston, S.C.) and later in the year he dominated the fleet of 89 boats at the J/24 Worlds.

- Jud Smith (Gloucester, Mass.) – The 2006 Yachtsman of the Year returns to the shortlist after besting the fleet of 91 boats at the J/70 World Championship (Marblehead, Mass.). Smith added another win to his 2018 resume by placing first at the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in Marblehead.

The nominees and their 2018 sailing resumes will be reviewed by a panel of noted sailing journalists and past winners of these awards that discuss the merits of each sailor’s racing results before voting to determine U.S. Sailing’s 2018 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year.

The winners will be announced in February and honored on Thursday, February 28, 2019, during a luncheon at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, when they will be presented with specially-engraved Rolex timepieces.

Established in 1961 by US Sailing and sponsored by ROLEX Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the annual presentation of U.S. Sailing’s ROLEX Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards are considered the sport’s ultimate recognition of an individual’s outstanding on-the-water achievements for the calendar year.

Over its history the coveted awards have been presented to 44 men and 35 women, including these distinguished sailors that have claimed the honor multiple times: Ed Adams, Betsy Alison, Sally Barkow, Dave Curtis, Dennis Conner, JJ Fetter, Terry Hutchinson, Allison Jolly, John Kostecki, Buddy Melges, Lowell North, Jan O’Malley, Jane Pegel, Ken Read, Cory Sertl, Lynne Shore, Jody Starck, Anna Tunnicliffe and Ted Turner. NOTE- the highlighted names sailed J/22s, J/24s, J/70s, or J/80s at Championship events.  In other words, Zeke, Will and Juddy are in good company!  For more ROLEX Yachtsman of the Year Awards 2019 information
 

J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
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*JOY RIDE J/122E Sydney Hobart team Reflections on the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race- by John Murkowski and friends on the J/122E JOYRIDE

JOY RIDE team: John Murkowski, Quill Goldman, Maaike Pen, Bron Miller, Alex Fox, Erik Sjogren, Byron Meseroll, and Robin Slieker

“3 Days, 16 hours and 49 minutes. Sydney Hobart 2018 is in the bag!! Sitting here on a New Years day, finally rested post race, reflecting on this unique experience, there are a few things that stand out for me.

Sydney:
The first time you walk the dock in Sydney the amount of race boats is overwhelming. Joy Ride isn’t a slow boat, but on the dock of Sydney Hobart there are only a dozen boats slower than us and it is clearly apparent when you walk the docks, look at the crazy race boats and talk to their crews. The first time you sail out into Sydney’s harbor, there are boats everywhere with sail races going on up and down the harbor. Coach boats chasing, high speed ferries going everywhere and race crews preparing for the race. The actual start is crazy with three different start lines and 40+ boats in our start, a very favored committee end of the line, 6 helicopters flying overhead, and hundreds of spectator and chase boats surrounding the course.

The race to the Heads goes much faster than you might think. The harbor looks much bigger on TV than it is, despite several areas of dirty air, we won our start, and put a lot of faster boats behind us by the time we passed the South Head.

The Race:
Great first 24 hours of downwind running with the big A3 in 20-25 knots of wind. We lost the tack eye off the sprit during the night and we’re knocked down for a few minutes until the crew got the kite back in and we could repack and launch again off the other tack. By the midnight check in, four boats had retired due to damage. One demasting, one lost rudder, one broken sprit and one ripped out sheave box. The race down the coast was great and we made our safety call upon entering the Bass Straits. If you had told me that we would be becalmed in Bass Straits for 8 hours, I would have never believed you. During the second night, we put 25 boats behind us and felt really good about how we were sailing. Then we sailed into a huge hole and with the advantage of AIS, most of our fleet escaped to the east and we quickly found ourselves back behind. With two high pressure systems separated by a low pressure trough, there was significant instability as we moved from a big Northerly to an even bigger Southerly. We did more sail changes than I can remember trying to get the boat moving and find the new southerly wind. The southerly came in strong with 30-40 knots of wind and with the huge fetch from Antarctica, some significant sea states. The temperature dropped and we all put on our foulies for the first time as waves started breaking over the boat. The third night came and we sailed past the pipes and started to try to find our way into Storm Bay. Turning further right at the famed “Organ Pipes” allowed us to start quartering the sea state and helped empty the cockpit of the cold Antarctica water. We entered Storm Bay before sunrise and passed three more boats. As the sun rose and we entered the river, we were fortunate to find pressure after another 20+ sail changes. We crossed the line early in the morning with the J1 doing 7+ knots.

Hobart:
We crossed the line, got our horn and waited for the escort boat to come out to meet us. We docked and were immediately met with a case of beer from the race committee. As we drank our 6 am beers and walked the dock, it was clear that a lot of sailors had been there for a while and had also enjoyed their beers. In Sydney, the big boats weren’t in the marina, but in Hobart the whole fleet is together and as you walk the dock, Joy Ride looks like a tender for one of the big boats. Hobart’s welcome was overwhelming and with two races finishing together (Sydney Hobart and the Melbourne Hobart), the taste of Tasmania and the race village; there was a great energy at the docks. We cleaned the boat and waited for our hotel rooms to become available. Breakfast and more cleaning and then the rooms were available and we could go rest and get clean. At three and a half days, the race is much more of a sprint than Vic Maui. More like an extra-long Southern Straits race. Definitely a boat of exhausted sailors when we finally tied up.

As I sit in Sydney waiting to fly home, I’m immensely proud of our crew. They put so much effort into preparing the boat and worked so hard during the race. While we always want to win, I don’t have any regrets about our effort and how we did in the race. We sailed our boat 7000 miles from Seattle to do the famous Sydney Hobart. From leaving Elliot Bay to arriving in Hobart, it has been an epic adventure that will be with all of us for the rest of our lives! Four of the crew will be returning the boat on January 6th back to Sydney where she will live until we figure out what the next great adventure will be.

Finally a huge "Thank you" to one and all for the wonderful words of encouragement over the last few weeks. We are overwhelmed by all of your support.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2019 from all onboard Team Joy Ride! Sail safe, go fast and have fun!"

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